


Ode To Sleep

by LightLeadingMe



Series: Mrs. Sandman [1]
Category: Ghostbusters (2016)
Genre: F/F, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Nightmares, past Erin Gilbert/Abby Yates - Freeform, pre-slash?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-10
Updated: 2016-08-10
Packaged: 2018-08-07 20:18:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7728403
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LightLeadingMe/pseuds/LightLeadingMe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Abby finds a quick solution to Holtzmann's poor sleeping habits.</p><p> </p><p>  <i>I'll stay awake 'cause the dark's not taking prisoners tonight...</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	Ode To Sleep

Abby unlocked the lab doors at the institute and gave three shoves and a few kicks to the door before it opened. She hated the damn door, hence why she kept it open all day long, only closing it when she left for the evening. She set her messenger bag on couch and made her way to the tarp masking the latest gadget she and Holtzmann were working on and flung it open. She was startled to find Holtzmann there, safety glasses already in place and a soldering torch in hand.

"Morning, Abs!" the blonde greeted with a bright smile as the torch lit up.

Abby frowned, taking in Holtzmann's clothes and messed hair. She still had on her overalls and yellow tanktop on from the day before. "Holtz," Abby stepped further into the room. "Did you sleep here last night?"

Holtzmann shrugged. "Sleep? No," she put down the torch and readjusted the goggles on her face. "Have I been here since you left last night? Yes."

"But-"

"I told you before that I'm an insomniac," Holtz interrupted, going back to her project. "I just don't sleep sometimes." She suddenly dropped the metal with a _clank!_ and looked up at Abby with a gleam in her eyes. "Look at my latest calculations for the PKE meter!"

Abby went over to listen to Holtzmann's latest discovery, but in the back of her head she couldn't stop thinking about the fact that the woman stayed the whole night, at the lab, not sleeping, probably working, and it didn't even phase her. Surely, at some point the genius slept? She wouldn't be able to function correctly if she did. 

Around 7pm that night, Abby caught Holtz sitting on her workbench, her head propped up on the book shelf she was leaning on and completely asleep. She shook her head, small tsk-ing sounds coming out of her mouth as she walked over to the woman. She wrapped one arm around her shoulders, careful not to accidentally wake her and hooked the other arm behind her knees. Abby lifted up and carried the tiny scientist over to the couch, laying her down gently. At some point between the workbench and the couch, Holtzmann had buried her face in Abby's neck and latched on to her tightly. So, when Abby began to pull away after laying Holtzmann down she was stopped abruptly.

"Oh damn," she muttered, wrapping her hands gently around Holtz's wrists, trying and failing to pry herself away. 

It was during her third attempt that Holtz suddenly jerked awake and sat up too quickly for Abby to pull away in time. Their foreheads smacked together and each woman let out a loud "ow!" as their hands simultaneously rubbed the sore spots. 

"What are you doing?" Holtzmann asked, wiping her eyes before she settled them on her friend.

"I was trying to make sure you were comfortable," Abby grumbled, her fingers still on her left eye where she and the younger woman collided. "You finally fell asleep at your bench, but you were going to hurt your neck if you stayed asleep like that so I moved you to the couch, but you wouldn't let me go and then you woke up and I have a headache." She sat down on the couch next to Holtzmann and let out a huff of frustration.

"Sorry," Holtz mumbled. "I don't sleep long, so if you see me at my bench then you should probably just leave me there. I would have woken up no matter if you moved me to the couch or not."

"Why?" Abby asked, searching Holtzmann's face for answers.

She just shrugged and pick a spot on the floor to stare at. "I have insom-"

"Don't use that insomnia bullshit on me, Jillian." Abby ignored her flinch at the mention of her first name and continued on. "Insomniacs _do_ sleep at some point, but it looks to me like you just fight sleep and when you do end up succumbing to it, your force yourself awake. That's not insomnia, that's avoidance."

It was quiet for a few moments. Abby tore her gaze away from Holtzmann's face to her hands that were tightly folded in her lap. She reached over and grabbed Jillian's left hand and lace their fingers together, her other hand covering over them both.

Holtzmann squeezed Abby's hand and let out an exhausted sigh. "I have nightmares," she confessed, her voice small and very not Holtzmann-like.

Abby wasn't sure what threw her more - how insecure Holtz sounded or the fact that the woman was avoiding sleep because of dreams. "Nightmares?" 

Holtzmann nodded solemnly. "I've had them since I was a kid. I tried everything, but nothing seems to work. They're so messed up and terrifying. I finally figure I might as well just give up on sleep all together. What harm could that do?" She looked up at Abby with bloodshot eyes and a sad expression on her face.

Abby stared at her incredulously. "You need to sleep, Holtzy. Your body and your beautiful brain need rest."

"Abby-" Holtzmann began to protest when Abby suddenly stood up from the couch.

"Come on," she tugged her hand and titled her head. "Let's go."

"Wha-?"

"Your'e coming to my apartment, you're taking a bath, and then you're spending the night."

"I don't think-"

" _Now_ , Jillian."

"Yes, ma'am."

An hour later, the freshly bathed scientist exited the bathroom attached to Abby's bedroom at her apartment. She was swimming in the college t-shirt Abby loaned her for sleepwear, but she was incredibly comfortable. She found Abby propped up on the bed, a book in hand. Her face was devoid of makeup and her hair was down around her shoulders. Jillian had only ever seen Abby with her hair up and she quickly decided that much preferred it down. 

"So," she drew the word out, her lips pursed. "Goodnight?"

"Where are you going?" Abby asked when she moved to exit the bedroom.

Holtzmann turned around, confused, in the doorway as Abby set her book on the nightstand and turned out the lamp. "Aren't I sleeping on the couch?"

"No, silly," Abby shook her head with a smile. Jillian could still see her dimples even in the dark. "Hop in."

She stood there for a moment before she shrugged and jumped onto the bed, smiling at Abby's surprised squeal. She settled herself under the covers and burrowed into the plus pillows. She made sure to keep her distance from Abby, but that thought shattered when she felt Abby throw an arm over her waist and pull her to the middle of the bed until she and the other woman were face to face, their chests pressed together. Holtzmann could feel the heat in her cheeks at the close proximity, trying her best to not glance down at Abby's lips that were mere inches away. 

"Hello," she said, breaking the ice.

"Hi," Abby grinned. "Sorry, I'm a cuddler."

"So it would seem..." She let her arm drape over Abby's back and Abby pulled her impossibly closer. "Why are you doing this?" she asked meekly. "I probably won't sleep well, if I sleep at all."

Abby sighed. "Erin used to have nightmares every now and then in college. The only way to make them go away was if someone held her."

"Someone, or you?" 

She didn't respond for a moment, the question slightly surprising her. "The point is, you need to sleep and I'm going to try anything and everything to make sure you do. Now, goodnight." She pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, ending the discussion.

Holtzmann wanted to talk some more, but she found her eyelids grew increasingly heavier every second. "Night," she whispered.

When Abby woke up, she found Holtzmann lying on top of her. Her nose was pressed up against her neck under her ear, her left leg was wedged between Abby's, and she had a firm grip around her waist. She turned her head to glance at the clock and found it was two in the afternoon. Abby did a little victory dance in her head at the fact that she finally got Holtzmann to sleep. She thought about untangling herself from the blonde scientist's embrace, but after thinking it through, she realized she really didn't mind. She actually didn't mind at all and felt more comfortable than she had been in years. As Abby drifted back to sleep in Holtzmann's arms, she made a mental note to remember to discuss the appropriate times of when and when not to sleep when she woke up later.

**Author's Note:**

> I just needed a fluffy Yatesmann fic so I wrote one. I don't know if I actually like it, yet, but I hope someone does. I might also do a follow-up post movie...


End file.
